Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Guangdong Provincial Museum – Showcase of Antiquity in Guangzhou

With a history that can rival the splendours of Egypt, China is a timeless land with a colourful tale of many millenia and many ancient sites that can kindle your curiosity. But it would be nigh impossible to cover all that in one tour as China is not exactly a small place; and stretches the definition of a big place quite so much. For to make up for that, every city in China boasts a museum with a vast collection which brings together artefacts from the far reaches of the land to one place. The widely known port city of Guangzhou with its own intriguing past is home to one of the best historic collections of the country, housed at the Guangdong Provincial Museum.

Located at the original site of the Zhongshan University, the Guangdong Provincial Museum is today a tourist favourite in Guangzhou. Even if it is named as a provincial museum, the museum of Guangdong is today a leading cultural and historical showcase that relates to the heritage of China, and also happens to be a good place to learn about the history of this wonderful land in vivid detail. The museum houses a collection of more than 100,000 artefacts of pottery, bronze, and stone along with ancient art, manuscripts and fossils.

Originally the exhibit spaces of the Guangdong Provincial Museum were made up of four exhibits relating to Guangdong history, rare animals, rare coins and woodcarvings. However the museum was expanded later with many more interesting exhibits to captivate the visitor. The exhibition gallery that relates to Guangdong history is a must-visit to any history buff as this gallery has a rich collection of exhibits relating to the ancient human settlements of Guangdong, artefacts from the Bronze Age settlements, and many relics from the Han dynastic period of imperial China's infancy. There is also a vast collection of exquisite porcelain figurines and objects, as well as a collection of documents, manuscripts, paintings and other objects of interest dating back to the semi-colonial days of Guandong, when it was known as Canton in the west.

If you're staying at any Guangzhou hotel you can just take the metro to visit the museum. Guangzhou suites which offer great value for money like the Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou is available all through the year, so it's just a matter of checking in early and planning your visit to observe, enjoy and learn at the Guangdong Provincial Museum.

About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

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